Parcel-carrier



L. A. SMITH. PARCEL CARRIER,

(No Model.)

120.3223529. Patented July 14,1885l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LUOIEN A. SMITH, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

PARCEL-CARRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 322,329, dated July 14,1885.

Application filed February 18. 1885. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: r

Be it known that I, LU'cIEN A. SMITIL'of Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Im'- provements in Parcel-Carriers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in vparcel-carriers.

The invention consists inthe peculiar construction of the parts, and their various combinations and operation, as more fully hereinafter described. y

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved parcelcarrier. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line ab in Fig. 1.

In the accompanying drawings,which form a part of this specification, A is a post or standard vertically secured at top and bottom, and this is made preferably of gas-pipe of a suitable size for the purpose.

B is a sliding bracket, adapted to embrace the standard, and it has anti-friction wheels C journaled therein, and adapted to allow the bracket to freely travel up and down upon the standard,- being actuated thereto by the de- Vices hereinafter described.

D is an adjustable thimble or stop, secured upon the standard to limit the drop of the bracket, there being rubber burrs E provided on opposite sides of the standard to render the drop of the bracket as noiseless as possible, and similar burrs are secured to the upper side of the bracket, so that when the same is thrown to its highest position the upper burrs will cause a noiseless impact against the stop at the upper end of the standard.

F is abuffer-box, pivotally secured between the ends of the bracket, on the opposite side of the standard to that portion of the same over which the anti-,friction wheels travel, by means of the set-screws a.

G is a tube,which enters the enlarged portion of the bore of the buffer-box, and is provided with a collar, m, adapted to act as afollower in the compression of the coil-springs b, and these parts are held in place by means of a screw-cap, wz.

H is a wire which passes through and is secured to a screw-plug, Lwhich is screwed into the opposite end of the buffer-box, and this' wire passes through such buffer-box, through the coil-spring, and through the tube G to a central station, which. will be hereinafter described. The projecting end of the tube G may have secured thereon a rubber buffer, o, in order to render the impact cf the parts, when they come together, nearly noiseless.

K is a spring-latch pivotally secured to the bracket immediately above the buffer-box.

O is a carrier-frame provided with travelers, adapted to. run down the wire H, and hangers Q, secured to this frame, carry in their lower ends rollers or pulleys g, over which cords 71, pass and support the basket or car P. At each end of this carrier-frame there are provided fixed hooks R.

The wire H running over the bracket, as already described, extends to a fixed station, and passes through the spring-buffer M,which is constructed precisely like the spring-buffer F hereinbefore described, and is secured to the front endof a frame, L, the sides and ends of such frame being pivoted together by the pins d, so as to be slightly flexible at the joints, and the rear end of this box L is pivotally secured, as at c, to a xed support. N is aspringlatch secured to the buffer-box M.

Fig. 1 shows the device as ready for oper ation, the basket or car P being at its lowest point and within easy reach ot' the clerk in charge of the station or the counter near which the standard A is secured.` The clerk puts the goods sold into the basket P, and by means of the hoisting-cord Z, pulley V, cord W, and pulley U, which latter is secured to an adjustable collar, S, which embraces the standard A, and the `cord W, passing over such pulley U, connected to the upper end of the sliding bracket B, slides the bracket up the standard until the buffer E strikes the collar-bracket S, thereby elevating the wire to the highest point, and when the bracket B reaches that point, a stop, i, secured to the collar-bracket S, impinges against the spring end of the spring-latch K, compelling the same to disengage from the hook R, when the basket l? will travel down the then inclined plane toward the fixed station; and as the traveler impiuges against the buffer M,

.o to the rear from the fixed station.

o The advantage of the use of 5 holding the buffer-spring under compression.

As soon as the basket has arrived at this xed station, the selling-clerk pulls upon the cord A, which is secured to the lower end of the sliding bracket B, and brings it down to its original position, thereby reversing the inclination of the wire H. Vhen the goods have been removed from the basket P, and done up in a parcel at the xed station, the parcel is replaced in the basket, and the opersion of the buifer-spring immediately starts the basket down the inclined plane to its original station, where the carrier-frame strikes the buffer connected with the sliding bracket B, and by this impact compresses the same until the spring-latch K engages with the book B at that end of the traveler.

In order to facilitate the elevation of the sliding bracket and lleave but little, if any, more than the weight of the goods in the basket P to be elevated by the power exerted by the clerk upon the hoisting-cord Z, I attach a cord, V, to the bracket, as shown, which cord passes over a pulley, T, secured ;o to the stop-bracket S, and this cord has pendent upon it a counter-balance, Y, designed to counterbalance the weight of the sliding bracket. If the standard A is hollovr or made of piping, then this counter-balance may be 5 made of a series of articulated weights, as

shown, adapted to travel within the standard; but if the standard is solid, of course such counterbalance-weight must travel outside it.

It will be noticedthat the standard is curved At the highest point which the bracket B reaches the curvature is such as to hold the wires taut, the opposite end of such wire being connected with aswivel, e, which in turn is secured to 5 an anchor and hook, f, within the frame L,

at the iixed station, and the curvature from the highest point to the lowest is such that in the travel of the sliding` bracket the wire is always kept taut, or nearly so.

this device, which is simple, comparatively inexpensive, and not easily got out of order, will be so apparent to all who have use for such a device that a further description is not deemed neces- 5 sary, except to say that as many of these devices may be employed as there are departments in a store, be the same more or less, but all leading toward a central xed station, where the parcels are to be done up for deo livery.

What I claim as my invention isl. In a parcel-carrier between two stations, and in combination with a curved standard, a sliding bracket embracing said standard, and having a buffer-box and a spring-buffer and an anchor-screw between the two ends of the connecting-wire between the two stations conator trips the spring-latch N, and the eXpan-.

structed and arranged to tighten the same without changing the position of the support, substantially as described.

2. In a parcel-carrier between two stations, the curved standard and the lifting-bracket, in combination with a counterbalance-weight, andthe means, substantially as described, for elevating and lowering said sliding bracket, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. The combination, with the standard A, having a rib formed integral therewith, of the vertical sliding bracket B, embracing said standard, and provided with grooved rollers C, running on said rib, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

4L. In a parcel-carrier between two stations, a standard and a sliding bracket embracing said standard and adapted to slide thereon, and provided with buffers E, as shown, in combination with stops or collars on said standard, to limit the travel of said sliding bracket, substantially as described.

5. In a parcel-carrier between two stations, a carrier-frame provided with travelers adapted to run upon a wire connecting said stations, said frame having hangers Q, carrying rollers g, in combination with the basket P and the flexible cords h, passing over said rollers, and having both their ends attached to said basket, substantially as described.

6. In a parcel-carrier, the combination,with a standard andasliding bracket, of a collar, S, carrying rollers T and U, of the cord WV', one end secured to said bracket, and the other passing over said roller T and carrying a weight, and the cord W, oneend attached to the bracket and passing over the roller U and connected with the hoisting cord, substantially as and for the purpose specied.

7 In a parcel-carrier between two stations, a curved hollow standard, in combination with asliding bracket, and the means, substantially as described, for elevating and lowering said bracket, in combination with anarticulated counter-weight traveling within the bore of the standard and connected with such sliding bracket, substantially as and for the purposes described.

8. In a parcel-carrier between two stations, a curved standard and sliding bracket, in combination with an adjustable bracket embracing and secured to said standard near its upper end, and having a stop for the purpose of tripping the spring-latch of said sliding bracket, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

9. In a parcel-carrier between two stations,

Aa frame, L, constructed substantially as described, and pivotally secured to a proper support, and having a buffer-box, springbuffer, spring-latch, and a suitable swivel for the purpose of securing the end of the wire connection between such stations, the opposite end of the wire being secured to a sliding bracket traversing a curved standard, substan tiallyy as and for the purposes described.

IOO

IIO

10. In a parcel-carrier between two stations, a post or standard, A, a sliding bracket, B, having anti-friction rollers C, rubber buffers E, and buffenbox F, buffer G, bufferspring b, and wire track H, one end of which is secured to an anchor-screw, I, spring-latch K, frame L, spring-buffer M, spring-latch N, and a turn-buckle, c, by means of which the opposite end of the wire track is secured,in combinationlwith a carrier-frame, O, provided with travelers and carrying a basket, P, such carrier-frame having hooks at either end thereof, the adjustable collar-bracket S, and adjustable stopcol1ar D, the parts being con# I5 structed, combined, and operating substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

1l. Ina parcel-carrier between two stations,

and in combination with a curved standard 

